Senior Advocates practising before the Karnataka High Court have expressed serious concern and disappointment over the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation to transfer four judges from the Karnataka High Court to various other High Courts across the country. In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, the senior members of the Bar highlighted the potential negative impact such abrupt transfers could have on the functioning of the judiciary.
The letter, which was written following a meeting held on April 21, 2025, at 4:00 pm, revealed that both the Senior Advocates and the office bearers of the Advocates' Association Bengaluru had reached a unanimous decision to urge the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium to reconsider and recall/withdraw the resolutions dated April 15 and 19, which recommended the transfer of the judges.
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The judges in question include Justice Heman Chandanagoudar, who has been recommended for transfer from Karnataka High Court to Madras High Court, Justice Krishnan Natarajan to Kerala High Court, Justice Neranahalli Srinivasan Sanjay Gowda to Gujarat High Court, and Justice Dixit Krishna Sripad to Orissa High Court.
The senior members of the Bar emphasized in the letter that these four judges are widely recognized for their professionalism, integrity, efficiency, legal acumen, and judicial consciousness. They further stated that all four judges have a commendable track record of ensuring timely disposal of cases, having worked across all three benches of the Karnataka High Court located at Bangalore, Dharwad, and Kalaburagi.
"The Hon'ble Judges work tirelessly over time in order to ensure that timely justice is rendered. The same is vindicated with the impeccable track record and number of disposals of cases across the 3 High Court Benches of Karnataka situated at Bangalore, Dharwad, and Kalaburagi," the letter reads.
The Senior Advocates also stressed that the judges not only uphold judicial discipline but have also fostered a courtroom environment that encourages young lawyers to argue their cases based on merit. The letter noted that their departure would cause "an immense loss to the members of the Bar and more so, to the younger members of the Bar who had always been encouraged and guided."
Eventually if these Hon'ble judges were to be transferred, it would cause an immense loss to the members of the Bar and more so, to the younger members of the Bar who had always been encouraged and guided... This entire exercise of the abrupt proposal of transfer of the Hon'ble Judges undermines the confidence of the Advocates, Litigants, and General Public in the independence and transparency of the Judiciary. It is with regret that we have to express our disappointment that the Bar has not even been taken into confidence while considering the sudden transfer of the Hon'ble Judges from the High Court of Karnataka, the letter stated.
The letter also underlined the close connection between the Bar and the Bench, pointing out that decisions about judicial transfers must involve at least some consultation with experienced and respected members of the legal community.
"It is often repeated in every conference, forum discussions, and in court proceedings that the Bar and Bench are two sides of the same coin and one cannot survive without the other," the letter emphasized.
The senior advocates proposed that if the judiciary engaged in informal consultations with a few respected senior advocates before making such crucial decisions, it would help preserve institutional transparency and maintain the trust of the legal fraternity.
This would strengthen the institution of judiciary and also bring about transparency in the policy and satisfaction amongst the members of the Bar, the letter reads.
Another concern raised was that sudden and unexplained transfers might discourage capable advocates from accepting judgeship in the future, as the unpredictability surrounding transfer policies creates professional uncertainty. The letter warned that this could weaken judicial morale and even impact the pace of judicial work.
"Such drastic and sudden transfer of Hon'ble Judges would also lead to a situation wherein able and leading advocates may deter and refuse to accept judgeship when invited by the Bench because of the uncertainty that would be prevailing as regards the transfer policy. Furthermore, such sudden transfers may also act as a deterrent for the efficient functioning of the Hon'ble Judges and demotivate them and may also lead to a situation whereby the Hon'ble Judges may even slow down their functioning to a bare minimum," the letter stated.
The letter concluded by highlighting that the abrupt transfers could create a "cascading and crippling effect" on judicial efficiency throughout the State of Karnataka.
Several senior advocates, including those with over 45 years of practice at the Bar, participated in the meeting. They collectively criticized the manner in which Karnataka High Court had been "singled out" for such a large-scale transfer, especially when compared to other ongoing concerns in the judiciary.
"It was also the unanimous view of the Senior Advocates that the timing of the transfer especially given the scandalous discoveries regarding a Judge of the Delhi High Court," the letter noted.
The Senior Advocates and younger members of the Bar also resolved to send letters to key constitutional authorities, including the President of India, the Prime Minister, and the Union Law Minister, urging them not to approve the Collegium’s transfer recommendations and to request a recall of the decisions.
